Scottish peat bog joins Victoria Falls and Grand Canyon as a World Heritage Site
A Scottish highland peat bog has been officially recognised as one of the world’s most important natural wonders, joining Victoria Falls and the Grand Canyon.
The area known as the Flow Country has become the UK’s newest Unesco World Heritage Site, and is the first peatland site in the world to be granted the status.
The vast expanse of blanket bog, recognised as the largest in the world, covers around 1,500 square miles in Caithness and Sutherland.
Peat bogs are wetlands filled with partially decayed vegetation, with the Flow Country home to a diverse range of wildlife, including golden eagles, red-throated divers and short-eared owls.
It is considered to be of outstanding importance because of the home it provides for such species and for the role it plays in storing about 400 million tonnes of carbon.
The announcement on Friday made the Flow Country the UK’s 35th World Heritage Site, and the first natural one in mainland Scotland, joining a global list that includes the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, Victoria Falls and the Galapagos Islands.
‘Beloved landscape’
Graham Neville, of the government agency NatureScot, said the award of Unesco status was a “momentous moment for Scotland’s people and their beloved landscape”.
He added: “World Heritage Site status will lead to greater understanding of the Flow Country and raise the profile of Scotland’s peatlands globally for their value as biodiverse habitats and important carbon sinks.
“It is a wonderful recognition of the expert stewardship of farmers and crofters in maintaining this incredible ecosystem as a natural legacy for future generations.”
The only other natural Unesco heritage sites in the UK are St Kilda, the Giant’s Causeway and the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon.
Prof Mike Robinson, non-executive director for culture at the United Kingdom national commission for Unesco, said he was “delighted” with the decision.
He added: “World heritage status recognises the global importance of the Flow Country and its peat bogs, not only as an important ecosystem for wildlife but also, through their carbon storage, as a critical defence against the impact of climate change.
“In this sense, world heritage and the protection afforded to it will contribute directly to sustainable development.”
Scottish and UK government ministers also welcomed the decision, with Sir Chris Bryant, the UK culture minister, hailing the Flow Country as “one of our most precious resources”.